The Greens, Libertarians and --- yes --- Kerry-Edwards 2004 have just added "election tampering" to a civil suit filed against the state of Ohio. The fine folks at RAW STORY have the scoop and the court docs online.

One of several American Heroes of the moment, Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), just finished up on MSNBC's Countdown. We only caught the last few minutes in which Conyers said in regards to their hearings on Ohio Election Irregularities that not a single Republican member of the Judiciary Committee had time to join; "The fact that Republicans didn't join us isn't our problem...it's their fault."

Hear, hear, Mr. Conyers.

We hope to post a link to the full video interview which discussed a number of the latest Ohio concerns when our friends at CrooksAndLiars.com make it available (hint, hint)! UPDATE Here's the video link! Apparently Conyers is calling for an FBI investigation into the Triad incident!

They were found soon after. And now, the $2.2 million London School Districts levy initiative, which lost by a single vote, may hang in the balance as Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur and Betty France --- who voted against --- decide if they will withdraw two of their votes.

We thank our Email tipster from a Clear Channel station (yes, Clear Channel) in Columbus, Ohio for sharing the story.

Apparently, each single vote still makes the difference to at least some parts of this crazy world. An idea that a few of us democracy-lovin' dissidents have been suggesting for quite a while.

In his affidavit, Curtis accused U.S. Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) of asking him to create a "vote-rigging software prototype" program while Curtis worked for Yang Enterprises Inc. (YEI) in a meeting at YEI in October of 2000.

Curtis also accused YEI of employing Hai Lin Nee (a/k/a Henry Nee), who Curtis described as "an illegal-alien" who had placed "wiretapping modules" into software created by YEI for NASA, the Florida Dept. of Transportion (FDOT) and others with whom YEI had contracts.

Yesterday we released court documents showing that Nee plead guilty, in October of 2004, to one of the charges related to attempted shipments of Hellfire Anti-Tank missile parts to China for which he was indicted last March after a four-year sting operation by the U.S. Immigration & Customs Encorcement (ICE) agency. Nee was allowed to go free with 3 years probation and a $100 fine.

Back in 2000, the time of Curtis' "vote-rigging software prototype" claims, Feeney was a corporate attorney and a registered lobbyist for YEI, an engineering firm in Feeney's hometown of Oveido, FL.

While serving as counsel and lobbyist for YEI, Feeney was also a Florida state Legislator who would shortly thereafter become Speaker of the Florida House. In 1994, Feeney was Jeb Bush's running-mate in his original failed bid for Florida Governor.

Feeney's lawfirm at the time, where he was a partner, was "Fowler, Barice, Feeney, & O'Quinn P. A." which is now known as "Fowler & O'Quinn, P. A." since Feeney has left to serve in the U.S. House where he sits on the House Judiciary Committee.

As "outside general counsel" for YEI, Michael A. O'Quinn, Esquire (a campaign donor to Feeney, along with company owners Dr. and Mrs. Yang) issued a short statement on Saturday on behalf of YEI suggesting that Curtis was "a disgruntled employee".

We discussed and answered in detail to O'Quinn's charge in this BRAD BLOG article, reporting that we have yet to find any evidence to suggest that Curtis was "a disgruntled employee". We pointed out that Curtis resigned from YEI in December of 2000 and stayed, at Mrs. Yang's request, for another six weeks until they were able to find a suitable replacement for him. We posted other evidentiary details to that effect in the article, and discussed the "farewall party" that YEI reportedly threw for Curtis at the time.

YEI posted a brief statement on their website at the end of last week, announcing that "An official statement will be forthcoming", that "all" of Curtis' allegations were "100% FALSE!!" and instructing "God" to "Bless America." The BRAD BLOG discussed that statement originally here, and then again in more detail here.

And yesterday, YEI's "official statement" was finally posted on their website.

We will respond to that below, with evidence that seems to demonstrate that, at least part of their statement, is patently untrue. But by way of reminder, since our original story was posted at the beginning of last week, Curtis, who claims to have been "a long-time Republican" has since that time...

Met with and been interviewed by Democratic staffers on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee in D.C. (where Feeney is also a member)

Met with and been interviewed by members of the office of U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) who is a member of the Senate's Science, Technology and Space sub-committee which oversees NASA on Capitol Hill

Has told his story via interviews on a number of radio outlets including Air America Radio and The Thom Harmann program and will today be on the Ed Schultz radio program at 5:05pm ET

And on Monday of this week, gave startling sworn "jaw-dropping", public testimony to U.S. Judiciary Committee members in in a public hearing held on Voting Irregularities in Columbus, Ohio.

At this time, The BRAD BLOG is unaware of any claim that Curtis has made either publicly, in any of his official interviews, media interviews, in his sworn affidavit, or in the extensive interviews that we have done with him that has yet been proven to be untrue in any way.

In fact, quite a few articles by various media outlets over the past week have confirmed a fair number of the charges that Curtis has made, and there is an extensive paper trail of newspaper articles and public records documenting and corroborating many of his claims going back at least as far as a three full years.

While it's still The BRAD BLOG's official position that Clint Curtis may either have his facts wrong or may not be telling the truth about some portions of his story, we have as yet been unable to unearth any evidence to suggest either of those possibilities is the case. Indeed, all our checking so far into public records and extensive interviews with individuals who have known Curtis for some time and/or are familiar with his case for a number of years all seem to corroborate the veracity of Curtis. As at least three different people who know him, but who were not present for and therefore cannot confirm the specific "vote-rigging software prototype" story, have told The BRAD BLOG, "Clint doesn't lie."

As I hit the "publish button" on the previous piece about The New York Times filing a serious report about election recount problems in Ohio, I was notified that tomorrow's Washington Post features a full report on scads of reported problems in Ohio! (Just six weeks late, and a day after the Electoral College cast it votes, but better late than never I guess!) Here's the MSNBC reprint for those not registered with WaPo.

To make matters even more incredible, the story is linked on Drudge! What the...?

But wait, that's not all! I heard that Cliff Arnebeck, the attorney who filed a brief with the Ohio Supreme Court to set aside the states election results due to irregularities and fraud, was on --- get this --- Hannity & Colmes tonight! (Hi, Alan! Long time no email!) UPDATE:Interview now online here.

(As we take a quick pause from preparing our friendly response to The Yangs.)

After a few choice words for The NY Times (and even some helpful ones) by The BRAD BLOG over the past several weeks, we're glad to see our new best friend, Tom Zeller Jr. pick up where only us conspiracy-theorists and dissidents have feared to tread over the last 5 and a half weeks!

In a refreshingly tinfoil-reference-free article in tomorrow's Times Mr. Zeller smartly covers the troubling reports (reported here yesterday) out of Judiciary Committee hearings in Ohio about the Triad Governmental Systems employee who, for reasons still unclear, is said to have taken apart one of the tabulating machines in Ohio just last Friday.

Triad, (get me!) --- according to The NY Times --- is "the Ohio firm that created and maintains the vote-counting software in dozens of Ohio counties" and which seems to have some splainin' to do about why the heck one of their employees was taking apart counting machines --- with volatile memory chips! --- prior to the planned recount in the Buckeye state!

Our story yesterday cited a congressional source as describing an unnamed eyewitness election official as "100% real and credible" after interviews. In tomorrow's story, Zeller reveals her to be Sherole Eaton, deputy director of elections for Hocking County and that she's filed a sworn affidavit recounting what she saw along with "at least two county employees".

As mentioned in a letter from John Kerry's attorney to Ohio Elections Officials last Friday which questioned their methods for selecting the 3 percent sample of precincts chosen for the initial counting tests, The Times reports...

As mentioned previously, YEI has now released a full statement on the Curtis charges. This statement follows up two short previous ones which we've already spoken to in some detail here.

We are currently working on a response to their newest charges, including hard documentary evidence contradicting several of their claims and we hope to have that reponse posted here this evening.

As always, however, we are doing our best to cross whichever i's and whatever t's possible in the research we are able to do concerning the matter. So that response may be released here tomorrow instead. We'll see.

For now, however, please see the article posted this morning on Mr. Hai Lin Nee (a/k/a Henry Lee) for a few details which already contradict a portion of YEI's statement. As mentioned, we will be posting hard evidence to back up some of those claims as soon as I am able to complete the promised response.

· Man Referred to in Curtis Affidavit, Testimony Admits Guilt in Plea Deal on Single Count!
· Sent Such Parts out of Country 'ten to twenty times' in Past Year!
· COURT DOCS: Hai Lin "Henry" Nee Free To Go After Sentencing of 3-Year Probation, $100 Fine!

Court Documents obtained exclusively last Friday by The BRAD BLOG from the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Orland0 Division, show that the Tiawanese born national referred to in the Clint Curtis' affidavit released exclusively here last Monday, and again in Curtis' sworn testimony before House Judiciary Committee members yesterday, was charged by a grand jury with three counts related to the illegal exportation of computer chips made by a Lockheed-Martin subsidiary and intended for delivery to the People's Republic of China.

As mentioned in Curtis' affidavit, and reported by the Orlando Sentinel in March of this year (link now archived, requires $ to view), Hai Lin Nee (a/k/a Henry Nee), an employee with whom Curtis claims to have worked at Yang Enterprises, Inc. (YEI), was taken into custody last March by the U.S. International and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency for attempting to ship "Missile Components to China". The "low-frequency amplifier" chips are said in the article --- and confirmed by a statement on the the official ICE website --- to be used for "radar-frequency guidance systems for fourth-generation Hellfire anti-tank missiles".

According the official indictment which The BRAD BLOG has reviewed after receiving it from the Circuit Court in Orlando, Nee was charged in the case of UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. TING-IH HSU, HAI LIN NEE a/k/a Henry Nee on March 10, 2004 on three counts. The official case number is: 6:04-cr-38-Orl-31DAB.

Nee plead guilty, according to a plea agreement signed on July 15, 2004 and obtained by The BRAD BLOG and was then sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presenell on October 7, 2004 on Count Three of the indictment concerning False Statements made to Customs Officials and on official documents.

The Nee sentencing documents [3 pages total] are available online here, as generously hosted by RAW STORY. (The indictment and plea agreement docs total about 23 pages, so we are not yet posting those until we are able to secure sufficient bandwidth. Those documents, however, are public records available from the U.S. Circuit Court in Orlando).

The first two charges related to "export[ing] protected electronic components to the Peoples Republic of China without...Authorization" were subsequently dropped as part of the Nee plea agreement.

According to that agreement:

Count Three carries a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment, a fine of $250,000, a term of supervised release of not more than 3 years, and a special assessment of $100 per felony count thereafter.

The official sentencing documents, however, reveal that Judge Presnell sentenced Nee to be released under a 3-year supervised probation and a $100 fine to be paid immediately. Case closed.

The plea agreement also quotes Nee as admitting "that business has been slow in the last year and that he had only sent parts out of the country ten to twenty times..." [emphasis added]

The Sentinel's Henry Pierson Curtis reported on March 17, 2004 that "A 4-year-old sting operation over a shipment of Hellfire missle parts to China finally will face its day in court."

UPDATE 12/18/04: The full video of Clint Curtis' sworn testimony before the U.S. House Judiciary Members in Ohio is now available.

Previously, we only had links to a portion of his testimony, which did not include his naming of Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) as having asked him to write the "vote-rigging software prototype! This clip now includes all of Curtis' testimony!

The transcript of the earlier partial video, transcribed by the good "ignatz" from DKos is here. (Though you'll miss the audible gasps as heard on the video versions and the naming of Tom Feeney!) The full transcript is now here.

A source inside the Judiciary Committee --- just back in D.C. after returning from Ohio --- has informed The BRAD BLOG that testimony at today's hearings from Green party presidential candidate David Cobb at today's hearings in Columbus shook up their investigations "at least as much" as the stunning surprise of Clint Curtis' sworn testimony reported exclusively by BRAD BLOG earlier today!

The Cobb testimony concerned an eyewitness account from an Elections Official about election machine tampering by a worker from Triad Governmental Systems, Inc. as late as last Friday!

Cobb claimed to have spoken over the weekend to an unidentified eyewitness to the tampering in an unspecified Ohio county.

Said Cobb at today's hearings, "A representative came in on Friday to see if there were any questions, the Triad representative had told him that [the machine] 'had a bad battery' and had 'lost all the data'. The machine was then taken completely apart" and it's memory apparently permanently lost.

All of this before the full Ohio state recount demanded by the Green and Libertarian parties has been able to get fully underway.

Th eyewitness, who was unnamed in the public hearings, was later identified and interviewed privately by staffers from the office of Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Judiciary committee.

Reliable sources have informed The BRAD BLOG that the investigation into this matter by Conyers is currently "ongoing" and the conclusion of staffers so far is that the eyewitness and information presented is "100% real and credible".

Cobb noted today in emotional testimony that "this is going on all over the state of Ohio."

Break For News reported earlier to today that Cobb accused Triad of "attempting to orchestrate a fraudulent recount of the 3 percent of precincts likely to be included in the first phase of the recount process." (Audio of Cobb's testimony also available at the site.)

They further report...

Cobb cited one case detailed by an --as yet anonymous-- informant, that a Triad GSI employee had told staff at the Columbus County Board of Elections office to inconspicuously note a prepared recount result, then report this data irrespective of the actual recount. The Triad GSI representative had also tampered with Triad voting equipment in the offices.

A letter sent to all 88 Ohio Elections Boards last Friday by Donald J. McTigue, the Kerry-Edwards State Counsel in Ohio speaks to concerns by the Kerry campaign about how the 3 percent sample, discussed by Cobb, will be chosen. That letter also expresses a number of other notable concerns to the Ohio Elections officials.

Further notable news out of the hearings, in a day already filled with enough BRAD BLOG sirens to made Drudge's head spin, include troubling reports from Columbus Free Press' Bob Fitrakis who testified to the Committee last Wednesday in D.C. and again today in Columbus.

Fitrakis, who's excellent reporting on the ground in Ohio has set the standard for investigative journalism over the past month, had several troubling reports in his testimony, several of which are described in this Free Press article.

Amongst his reports are first hand accounts of a "a team of 25 people who called themselves the 'Texas Strike Force' using payphones to make intimidating calls to likely voters, targeting people recently in the prison system." The calls were made from a Holiday Inn and were observed by a worker there. Apparently people were warned that they if they had child-support payments due, or outstanding traffic-tickets, they could be arrested at the polls on Election Day.

Fitrakis presented evidence to the committee which demonstrates that the hotel used was paid for by the Ohio Republican Party whose headquarters is across the street!

He also reports on, and testified to, new information --- including arial photographs --- from the Warren County Elections Board on the night of their now infamous Election Night "lockdown" which officials had attributed to warnings received from the FBI about terror warnings.

The FBI has since denied giving any such warnings to anybody in Ohio. We hope to have more details on those photographs in a report soon.

We're sorry to have had to break out the siren so many times today, though it was suggested to The BRAD BLOG by our source that the Cobb revelations warranted three! We'll stick with one for now.

But we will also take this opportunity to note for the skeptics out there who have wondered where the corporate media is on so much of this, and how one can be sure they can trust "Internet bloggers" like The BRAD BLOG and "Internet-only news sites" like RAW STORY --- who has also produced quite a bit of good breaking information on these events --- that we, so far, have gotten the story right on all of these matters from the get-go.

The BRAD BLOG has just received an exclusive first-hand account of Clint Curtis' sworn testimony (as reported earlier) to the Judiciary Committee Democrats holding hearings this morning in Columbus, Ohio on Election 2004 Voting Irregularities.

The software programmer, whose sworn affidavit was first reported by The BRAD BLOG, named Republican U.S. Congressman Tom Feeney (a Republican member of the Judiciary Committee!) as having asked him to create "vote-rigging" software in a meeting at Yang Enterprises, Inc. (YEI) prior to the 2000 elections!

Feeney was, at the time of the alleged meeting, a Florida legislator and later became Speaker of the Florida House. He was also the running mate to Jeb Bush in his failed 1994 bid for Florida Governor.

Curtis was the only witness to be sworn in at today's hearings.

Here is the exclusive account as we've just received it by a very reliable BRAD BLOG source inside the committee hearings!

The following account may sound melodramatic but it is highly accurate.

None of these are quotes and represent my best recollection.

At apprx 1p, after a witness had finished, cliff arnebeck --- who had given a presentation some time before --- interjected and asked to call one more witness. He was given permission to do so. He said he was calling clint curtis.

Some of the audience literally gasped while others applauded. They clearly knew who he was.

Curtis stood at the front of room with arnebeck seated behind him. Curtis was about five to ten feet from the members of congress. At the front of the room, he placed his hand on a bible and was sworn. To my knowledge, he was the only witness sworn.

Arnebeck began a direct examination of curtis with basic questions, name, residence....

Then got to his qualifications.

Then, he asked curtis something like whether voting machines could be hacked. He said yes. Arnebeck asked him on what he based that opinion. He said because I wrote a program that could do it. Arnebeck asked when that happened. Curtis said feeney had asked him to design such a program at yang enterprises.

Jaws dropped. Tubbs jones and waters looked shocked.

Tubbs jones, waters and nadler asked questions. Waters asked him to repeat who asked him to do it. Congressman feeney, he said. Nadler asked him some questions, as did tubbs jones and a state senator.

Curtis was asked what he would conclude if there was such a substantial deviation btwn exit polls and actual results. He said he would conclude the election had been hacked. Gasps. Could have heard a pin drop.

In the end, curtis was very very convincing to everyone in attendance. He was a show stopper, a stunner. It was a really amazing moment.

MORE....

As we've previously reported since breaking our original exclusive story on the Curtis affidavit [PDF] last week (Key articles are linked in a box in our right sidebar) Curtis last week met privately with staffers on the Judiciary Committee as well as Senate staffers.

Wired Magazine revealed today in their article on Curtis that it was staffers in Sen. Bill Nelson's office with whom Curtis met last week in D.C.

Nelson oversees NASA in the Senate. Curtis had charged in his affidavit that an employee, Hai Lin Nee (a/k/a Henry Nee) with whom Curtis worked at Yang Enterprises, Inc. (YEI) had inserted "wiretapping routines" into programs that YEI had been contracted to create for NASA, among other companies (including the Florida Dept. of Transportation).

Nee was charged with shipping chips used in Hellfire anti-tank missiles to the Peoples Republic of China in March of this year, and has since plead guilty to one of those counts (more on Nee soon!)

At the time of the alleged October 2000 meeting at YEI when Curtis claims that Feeney asked him to create a "vote-rigging software prototype", Feeney was a member of the Florida Legislature, a corporate attorney for YEI, as well as being a registered lobbyist for the company.

Feeney was said to have been, at the time, the only registered lobbyist known to have been serving concurrently as a legislator in the 160 member Florida statehouse.

Shortly thereafter, Feeney became Speaker of the Florida Legislature.

In 2002 Feeney won a U.S. Congress seat in the newly created 24th Florida congressional district.

Feeney was the running mate to Jeb Bush during his first failed bid for Governor in 1994.

As we noted earlier, Wired Magazine article quotes YEI Attorneys as saying that Curtis was a "disgruntled employee", but does not note that the Attorney who made the statement is both a campaign contributor to Feeney, and, as well, is Feeney's former law partner in Florida.

As well, there seems to be little to indicate that Curtis was "disgruntled" with YEI or vice versa. He submitted his resignation in December of 2000 and stayed on, at YEI's request for an additional six weeks afterwards until a replacment could be found.

It has been reported YEI threw a "farewell party" for Curtis, and email correspondce that The BRAD BLOG has seen would indicate that employees --- including Nee --- missed Curtis a great deal in the months after he finally left the company.

Audio report on Triad Computer engineer alleged by Green Party Presidential Candidate David Cobb today to have disassembled tabulation machine in Ohio last week via this report from What We Know!

Also...See the letter from Conyers to the Governor of Ohio, and the Leaders of the Ohio Senate and House asking them to delay or set aside the Electoral College results in OH until recount can be accomplished.

The BRAD BLOG's original exclusive story on Clint Curtis is here. Further key points to the story are now linked in the sidebar at right.

In a fairly even-handed article today, Kim Zetter of Wired.com covers the story of Florida computer programmer Clint Curtis who has charged that he was asked by Congressman Tom Feeney (R-FL), then a Florida legislator, to create a "vote-rigging software prototype" while working at Yang Enterprises, Inc. (YEI) back in October of 2000.

The Wired.com piece drops the ball notably in only one area where Zetter quotes a statement from Yang attorney, Michael O'Quinn.

She quotes the attorney as calling the allegations "absurd and categorically untrue" and refers to Curtis as "an opportunist and a disgruntled former employee furthering an agenda by telling lies".

Unfortunately, Zetter, who we had spoken to last week, fails to note that Michael O'Quinn of the lawfirm "Fowler and O'Quinn" has been a longtime campaign contributor to Tom Feeney in both 2002 and 2004. Perhaps more notably, O'Quinn is also a former law partner of Feeney!

As The BRAD BLOG reported over the weekend when the comments from Yang's attorney's were first announced, O'Quinn's lawfirm was previously known as "Fowler, Barice, Feeney, & O'Quinn".

That very notable conflict of interest in the matter should have been acknowledged by Zetter in her article.

The BRAD BLOG has also spoken on several occasions (here and here) about the "disgruntled employee" charge, to point out that there seems to be no known basis for that claim.

Curtis resigned from YEI effective December 2000, but stayed on at the firm for another six weeks, at the request of the company, until a replacement for him could be found. The company was said as well to have thrown a "farewell party" for him when he finally left, and email correspondence reviewed by The BRAD BLOG would seem to indicate that he was missed greatly by employees of the company.

Still, overall, it was a fair enough article, and we're glad to see the story begin to break into some of the "corporate media". And there will be more to come...

Zetter has written a number of articles for Wired debunking, or otherwise disputing electoral malfeasance or irregularities in the 2004 election, so her generally positive coverage of Curtis' story is also notable despite missed notice of the Yeng Attorney's direct connection to Feeney.

Following our previous report on momentum building in Ohio and U.S. House Judiciary Committee hearings that will be held there tomorrow...

Two reports right now out of Ohio media outlets confirm what has been buzzing on the net over the last several hours.

According to the reports, an attorney representing John Kerry has sent a letter to all 88 Elections Boards in Ohio requesting that his team be allowed to inspect the 92,000 ballots which recorded no vote for President!

The letter also reportedly contains 11 other requests for election officials regarding the recount in the Buckeye State set to take place this week. UPDATE: Full text of Kerry Letter here.

The reports come on the heels of speculation growing around a lawsuit said to be filed Monday morning by attorney Cliff Arnebeck on behalf of a voters alliance in Ohio asking the Ohio Supreme Court to set aside the results in that state due to massive fraud and/or error.

Arnebeck has been quoted on media outlets, such as Air America Radio, in recent days suggesting that he will be including evidence in his suit to show that John Kerry may have actually won the Ohio election as well as the national popular vote.

The BRAD BLOG proudly welcomes The Los Angeles Times into the reality-based community!

Today, some five weeks after one of the most questionable national elections in U.S. history and the day before the Electoral College is to meet, the paper is finally bothering to report that there may have been some problems.

· Conyers Issues Blackwell Alert!· Accusations of "Stonewalling", Wonders if they are "trying to hide" something!· PLUS: Arnebeck Summons Curtis to Buckeye State!· Events Now Moving Very Quickly on the Ground!

The office of Congressman John Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, has just rushed an alert out to the media in regards to recount efforts on the ground in Ohio. The release quotes Conyers as asking publicly if Ohio election officials are now attempting to hide information and accuses them of "stonewall[ing]" Judiciary Committee member's "search for truth"!

"We have now repeatedly seen election officials obstruct and stonewall this search for the truth," Conyers says in the release, adding "I am beginning to wonder what it is they are trying to hide." [emphasis added]

The Press Release, just issued, headlined "Conyers Alarmed at Efforts to Obstruct Ohio Recount Effort, Calls Witness to Monday Hearing to Detail Such Efforts", outlines the troubling reports, discussed here yesterday, of Ohio Sec. of State J. Kenneth Blackwell (also Co-Chair of the Ohio Bush/Cheney Re-Elect Committee!) reportedly attempting to obstruct efforts by Green/Libertarian Recount Volunteers in Ohio over the last several days.

Conyers, on behalf of Judiciary Committee Dems had previously announced on Friday that hearings would be held on Monday at the Ohio State Capitol Building on these matters. The location for those hearings was abruptly moved to the Columbus City Council after, Judiciary sources told The BRAD BLOG, "republican leaders in Ohio got word of the meeting and denied the request for a room" in the state capitol building.

From today's Press Release...

Yesterday, it came to the attention of the House Judiciary Committee Democratic Staff that efforts to audit poll records in Greene County, Ohio are being obstructed by County Election officials and/or Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. According to Joan Quinn and Eve Robertson, two election observers researching voting records, Greene County officials initially gave Quinn and Robertson access to poll records, and then abruptly withdrew such access. Greene County Director of Elections Carole Garman claimed that she had withdrawn access to the voting records at the direction of Secretary Blackwell. Regardless of who ordered the denial of this access, such an action appears to violate Ohio law. Later, at the same office, election observers found the office unlocked, and what appeared to be locked ballot boxes, unattended. Prior to the withdrawal of access to the books, observers had found discrepancies in election records, and possible evidence of minority vote suppression.

House Judiciary Committee Democrats wrote a letter to Blackwell on December 2 requesting answers to 34 questions about election irregularities and fraud in Ohio. This letter included questions about major discrepancies in Perry County poll books. Since that letter, additional documentation has been provided to the Democratic staff demonstrating similar problems in other counties.

Because of the urgency of the Greene County matter, Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, has requested that Ms. Quinn testify at a hearing scheduled Monday in Columbus, Ohio. Ms. Quinn has agreed to do so and will also present sworn statements from corroborating witnesses. Conyers issued the following statement:

"The Recount effort is simply a search for the truth of what happened during the 2004 Presidential election in Ohio. We have now repeatedly seen election officials obstruct and stonewall this search for the truth. I am beginning to wonder what it is they are trying to hide."

As tomorrow's scheduled date for the Electoral College to cast their votes for U.S. President approaches, the Judiciary Committee hearings and other gatherings by various election-recount groups in Ohio are gaining much momentum.

Cliff Arnebeck, the attorney who is said to be filing a suit with the Ohio Supreme court this week to have the Ohio election results completely set aside, has spoken recently with Clint Curtis and has asked him to come to Ohio immediately to testify in regards to possible vote fraud in Election 2004.

Curtis is the Florida computer programmer who gained national attention this week after The BRAD BLOG revealed his stunning affidavit claiming that he was asked by Congressman Tom Feeney (R-FL) to create a "vote-rigging software prototype" while an employee at Yang Enterprises, Inc. in Oviedo, FL (Feeney's home district) back in October of 2000.

Yesterday we reported that Yang Enterprises, Inc. (YEI) had issued a terse --- yet patriotic --- statement on their website in regard to Clint Curtis' allegations (first reported here) that YEI had colluded with U.S. Congressman Tom Feeney (then a Florida Legislator, Speaker of the House, as well as YEI Corporate Counsel and registered lobbyist) to create a "vote-rigging software prototype" at Feeney's request in 2000.

This was the text posted yesterday on the YEI website...

Recently there have been several accusations against this corporation by Clinton Eugene Curtis. All of the allegations are 100% FALSE!! An official statement will be forthcoming. Thank you for your concern and God Bless America.

Curtis has also alleged malfeasance by YEI and their CEO, Mrs. Li-Woan Yang concerning the shipping of secrets to China from Yang, over-billing to the Florida Dept. of Transportation (FDOT), and the employement of an illegal-alien, Hai Lin Nee (a/k/a Henry Nee) who, Curtis charges, added added "wiretapping routines" to software that YEI created for NASA and FDOT among others.

This morning, Elites TV announced that they had received the following statement from Michael A. O'Quinn, Esquire of Fowler & O'Quinn, P. A. representing himself as "outside general counsel" for YEI.

Here's O'Quinn's statement, in total, as reported by Elite TV:

Dear Sir or Madam,

As outside general counsel to Yang Enterprises, Inc., please be advised that Yang Enterprises, Inc.'s response to the allegations of Mr. Curtis is as follows:

(1) Mr. Curtis's allegations are categorically false; and

(2) Mr. Curtis is a disgruntled former employee trying to harm a former employer by lying and making false allegations.

As The BRAD BLOG has previously noted, there seems to be no basis currently known for O'Quinn/YEI's "disgruntled former employee" charge.

Curtis has told us, and we have confirmed with several additional sources, that he was not fired by YEI, but rather submitted his resignation effective December 2000.

Afterwards, YEI then asked Curtis to stay on until a permanent replacement could be found. One was soon found, but he reportedly quit the same day and Curtis ended up staying at YEI for another six weeks past his original resignation date.

As well, a "Farewell Party" was reportedly thrown by YEI for Curtis upon his leaving! We hope to report more details and related evidence for that soon.

The BRAD BLOG has also reviewed email, supplied by Curtis, purportedly sent to him by several YEI employees --- including Mike Cohen, Mrs. Yang's executive secretary who was, with Mrs. Yang, said to have been present during the now infamous October 2000 meeting where Feeney allegedly described the "vote-rigging software" that he was seeking. Several of those notes indicate that Curtis was missed by company employees after he left YEI.

One note, purportedly from Hai Lin "Henry" Nee --- who Curtis has charged in his affidavit as being an illegal-alien employed by YEI and having included "wiretapping routines" into software for NASA and FDOT --- shows that he was missed at the compnay.

That note from Nee, apparently sent on April 15, 2001, just a few weeks after Curtis had finally left YEI, includes the following:

Fernando keeps adding boxes to the alerady [sic] very crowded PE screen, it is really killing us, may be you should come back and save us, ha ha ha.

As to the lawfirm of Fowler & O'Quinn P. A. --- YEI's "outside general counsel" who issued the statement reported by Elites TV this morning, it seems that they are the lawfirm previously known as "Fowler, Barice, Feeney, & O'Quinn P. A."! That's right, Tom Feeney's old lawfirm where he served as a partner at the time he represented YEI as corporate attorney and registered lobbyist!